The Beast of Bray road
by shaileewinchester
Summary: Sam, Dean and Xue-li are on the trail of a beast in Elkhorn, Wisconsin after a boy was brutally mauled and killed by what is said to be a half-man, half-wolf creature. Events of Day 1....scenario taken from the supernatural RPG; the hunt begins. Xue-li OC


The scenery flew past her window merging into a continuous blur. Xue-li couldn't help but realise just how lucky she had been to have found a ride into town at such late notice. Rain was pelting down onto the dry earth like millions of tiny shooting stars, carried by the winds there wasn't a dry spot in sight. The windshield wipers squealed in protest straining to keep the road visible. The trip so far had been uneventful and boring, made worse by the drivers horrible taste in music. From what she could make out through the rain the roads were flat and surrounded by corn or soy fields. The scenery seemed as if it was replaying on an endless loop: Corn, silo, barn, corn … Except every so often there would a big yellow sign with the word "Adult" offering truck drivers some diversion - probably so they didn't fall asleep at the wheel.

Elkhorn, Wisconsin didn't seem the kind of place you'd expect to find a slavering beast. From what she'd heard it was a pretty quiet town with the usual mix of chain restaurants and local businesses. The interstate and several county highways were nearby, offering the frequent traffic easy access in and out of town. She remembered the words Dean had told her as they last travelled through the Midwest.

"What all good mid-west towns do have, thank goodness, is a bar on every street corner."

She expected Elkhorn was no exception. Checking her phone once again for any new text messages letting out a frustrated sigh, she was disappointed when she found none.

_Check your phone Dean. You're probably having a blast with Sam aren't you? I wonder what you two are up to right now. Probably something you shouldn't be knowing you._

Her lips curled into a slight smile as she thought of Dean and the time she first met 'The Dean Winchester'. John Winchester had called the house and asked Bobby to help in translating a text he had run across on a hunt and was unfamiliar with. Bobby had enlisted her help in searching through his vast library of books on the supernatural genre. What seemed like hours passed before Bobby complained something about being thirsty and took a very long 'trip to the fridge'.

_If he wanted a break why didn't he just say so, I mean it doesn't take 30mins to go to the fridge, like I wouldn't notice. Oh well, John'll be here soon for that stupid book, and it's not going to find itself._

Almost as if on queue the impala's distinctive rumbling sounded throughout the air. Deciding to ignore John's arrival in favour of continuing the search she began to rattle through draws and looking in the last places she would expect to find it. Hearing the footsteps of whom she assumed was John stop behind her she turned to greet him. Greeted not by a smile but rather a splash of hot water to the face she reacted to the unexpected drenching with shock and the rather scolding temperature of the water with pain, she looked up at her attacker. Standing before her was an unknown man, he appeared to be in his early to mid twenties, short hair, wearing jeans and a plain black shirt and a denim jacket. Despite her situation she couldn't help but realise just how attractive he was. Focusing on the firearm in his hands she lunged towards him with as much speed as she could muster, Thankfully making it into arms length of him before he had the gun aimed at the correct height. Her head moved right of the barrel that was now staring her down as her left hand encompassed his own and the gun, forcing the guns trajectory leftwards. Her right hand was already in motion, hurtling towards his stomach. Hunching slightly as her fist connected with force his chin was met by her knee and followed up by the smooth leather of her boot as she followed through with the kick. Knocked off balance by the attack he was sent flying backwards and hit the floor with an almost sickening thud. Stopped from continuing her attack by John's appearance in the doorway she stood slightly confused by what was actually happening.

_John?! But if John's here then this guy was with him…….. But then why did he attack me? Argh I'm wet! Why am I wet?_

John's laughter put her racing mind at ease. He offered his hand to the man that was still laying on the floor. Bobby returned from his 'trip to the fridge' and added his own laughter to John's. Growing slightly aggravated by the fact that she seemed to be missing the joke and not being entirely sure if they were laughing with her or at her, she demanded an explanation.

"Am I missing something here? What's so funny?"

"Sorry, I just never thought I'd see my son handed his ass on a silver platter so quickly"

"Shut up, I wasn't handed anything on any type of platter."

_Wait?!?! Did John just say son? So this must be Dean or is it Sam?_

"Son?! If you're John's son why the heck did you attack me?!"

"I heard noises and thought someone was breaking into the joint." Changing the subject quickly and turning the blame towards her Dean took the questioning under his control. "You reacted to the holy water, why would you do that if you aren't a demon?!"

Resigning herself to the fact that this guy was an idiot despite being John's son, Xue-li headed for the kitchen for a tea-towel to dry her face. As she passed him Bobby motioned Dean to throw him the silver flask containing holy water. Not having stopped to see why he did so she was granted her explanation in the form of words.

"Hahaha I'll tell you why you numbskull, you left this in the trunk again didn't you. It's hot as hell."

That was Dean Winchester for you, well him as of almost 2 years prior. He had grown a lot and learnt even more as a hunter since then, and by his and John's side she liked to think she had too.

"You alright over there? You've been awful quiet."

Having found herself entirely wrapped up in thought she'd completely forgotten about the driver sitting next to her. He wasn't the type of company she would normally have kept, he smelt of smoke, beer and like he hadn't showered in a week but he was her only way of getting to Elkhorn in time to meet up with Dean and Sam.

"Yeah sorry, just thinking."

"Hahahaha I stopped doing that years ago. Anyway this is where I have to let ya off."

Looking around at the lack of scenery now surrounding her she realised that they'd already arrived in Elkhorn. Much to her relief the rain had ceased leaving behind a refreshing scent, she wasn't vary fond of the idea of having to walk in that weather.

"Thanks again Durian, you're a life saver."

"Don't mention it, if it weren't for you that vampire would have had my head"

Watching the truck disappear into the distance she felt her stomach grumble in annoyance at her unintentional fasting. Almost as if her stomach was guiding her eyes towards a source of food, her attention turned to the large, flashing sign that read "hot food". It hung crudely above a small establishment over on the other side of the highway. Looking to the left and right before she crossed the highway, she saw nothing coming from either side_._ Stepping over the railing she flinched as she took in the sight below her. The rain had left her with a steep and now muddy decline_. _Times like this she was thankful that she wore suitable footwear. She began to descend slowly so as not to slip in the mud, taking her steps carefully. However by the time she had reached the bottom she'd been forced into a brisk jog to avoid falling flat on her face. The all too familiar sound of her ring tone sounded throughout the quiet night.

_Found a lead, lookin in2 it now stayin at the Stag Shot room 252_

A vague message but a message none the less. Deciding against further interruption to Dean and Sam's search she continued her approach towards the bar, her spirits lifted by the text message alone. Despite her reluctance to admit it she missed the guy, a lot. In fact she wouldn't have let him go get Sam without her if Bobby hadn't begged her to take care of that vampire. Her days just didn't seem right without Dean and John.

_John, where are you? Are you alright? PLEASE be alright._

Enjoying the rain's scent a whole lot more than the musky, sweat filled truck cab she rode in she inhaled a final breath before she entered the building. The name of the bar was engraved into a small wooden plaque hung on the door itself 'All Thumbs'. The image she'd painted in her head of the bar from the name alone wasn't far off actuality. It was smoky and dimly lit - mostly by eight-year-old Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling. Mounted fish and other trophies hung on the wall, no doubt the pride and joy of the owner. But hey it had it's perks, there was a pool table and dart board at least. Walking slowly into the bar she make sure to take in as many details as she could from her surroundings. She could hear an unfamiliar classic rock song playing on the 20-year-old jukebox in the corner of the room, a group of 6 bearded, flannel-wearing locals were playing a game of pool and a young couple were playing darts, well as good as could be played between sessions of tonsil hockey anyway. Her attention was grabbed by the rather unusual looking man seated at the bar. He was of a rather slim and tall build, several tattoos covered the small amount of flesh his rolled up sleeves showed to her and he had several piercings, both facial and not. Most noticeable of all was the Remington model 700 rifle slung over his shoulder. Being a small mid-western town there was sure to be many hunters running about with their guns so most would think nothing of the sight. Most people would come to the assumption that he was just a skinny biker, but she knew differently. Several of his tattoos had supernatural relations and he had a hunter's aura about him. She suspected that like herself his prey was not deer like the Elmer Fudd variety of hunters inhabiting this town, but of a more sinister and supernatural nature. He was in a conversation with a young blonde haired female seated next to him. Slung from her shoulder was a small, black purse of a simple design. She didn't seem the hunter type, his girlfriend? Friend? Or something else?. There body language and interactions told her she was more than just someone he had met moments before. Having the opportunity to eat and potentially work on the case suited her just fine.

"Hi, is this seat taken?"

The hunter said nothing but it was obvious to her that he also recognised her as a fellow hunter. Seeming to be much more social the woman quickly replied with a friendly smile and warm attitude.

"No it's free, please sit down. Don't mind him.. Contrary to popular belief he won't bite"

"Thank-you. Sorry to interrupt your conversation please just pretend I'm not here."

Hesitantly the man continued the conversation after continuous prods from the woman. Xue-li listened to every word they spoke as she downed her meal, nothing even remotely related to the hunt came up. Just as she was beginning to think she may have been mistaken in her assessment of the man the conversation ceased as the bell about the entrance chimed to alert the staff another customer had entered. Both the woman and the man looked and nodded to each other as a woman approached the bar. Taking note of her appearance in case she was related to the hunt Xue-li saw that she was in her mid-30's. Her hair was dark-brown or possibly black in colour, the lighting made it hard to tell the shade for sure. She wore it pulled back off of her face in a ponytail (no doubt to abide by health and safety laws), she had rather attractive facial features that were accentuated by the librarian style glasses she wore. Her clothing was what you would expect to see in a seedy bar next to a highway, she wore a rather low-cut blouse with tattoos that disappeared beneath it and a somewhat modest knee length black skirt. She watched as the woman put on a bartending apron and made her way behind the bar. She approached the hunter and offered to top up his now empty glass. It was obvious to Xue-li that he was experienced in the art of deception and information gathering as he lured the bartender into a conversation regarding the Beast of Bray Road with ease. Knowing that in her sleep deprived state and while eating the odds of missing vital information was high, she instinctively reached for her cell phone. She played with it for a moment so as to give the impression that she was checking a text than sat it carefully on the bar. She had done this several times before with John and Dean on hunts when the had found themselves separated. She called Dean's phone and placed it on speaker after selecting the mute option so that even if Dean screamed through the phone no one on her end would hear. The idea was for Dean to answer the call and listen to the information being captured on speaker as if he were there. Of course with the music playing in the background and the murmuring of her fellow patrons the conditions were far from ideal, but she was sure that the conversation would be understandable on Dean's end. The last time she had done this she was in a car with the radio blaring, so if it worked then the odds were that it would work now. Most people would simply hang up if they answered the call and no once answered them back, but she was confident that Dean would know what was going on.

_The Beast of Bray Road? Was that what Dean and Sam were hunting here?_

Despite having to chase off several attempts from the local bachelors and eating her meal almost without breaths in between mouthfuls she still heard quite a lot of interesting information.

"There's been several sightings of really large wolves or coyotes around here for hundreds of years now"

"Well descriptions of the creature haven't always been consistent. Some say it's kind of half-wolf, half-man, while some say it's more bear-like. Some say it walks upright, while others say it runs on all fours. Even the colour varies between brown and gray. So maybe not a giant coyote."

"See what I find weirdest is that the beast has frightened people, chased them, and killed pets and livestock over the years but has never actually hurt anyone before now."

"A young football player from Fox high school was allegedly killed by the beast recently. Apparently he had car trouble, pulled over to check under the hood, and according to the sole witness Lee Ann Robinson was mauled by a large gray wolf. Since then it's said to have chased some girls near the same high school. Though their description varied from Mrs. Robinsons story."

No creature immediately came to mind, but she had determined that it wasn't a werewolf they were after. Contrary to popular belief werewolves don't look wolf-like or run on four legs, any decent hunter would know that. As the bartender leant over the bar to whisper something into the male's ear in a rather flirtatious fashion, the doors to the bar were smashed open with a thunderous crash. Everyone's attention turned to the large, bald and heavily tattooed man making a beeline straight towards the out-of-towners. It was obvious to her that the man had been drinking by the way he swayed with each step he took. The bar fell silent as all eyes focused on the man entering the bar, the clicks of pool balls hitting each other ceased as the game came to an abrupt halt and the bartender conveniently disappeared. After deciding to take the opportunity to leave the bar while it's occupants piled on the intoxicated man in the hopes of stopping a fight, she ceased the call and returned her phone to her pocket. She didn't want to pick up the phone and talk without it actually ringing, that would have given the fact it was connected away to the hunter next to her that had been watching her too close for her liking. A moment after she exited the bar a firm hand was placed on her shoulder from behind. She turned to face the owner of said hand and was greeted by a familiar and friendly face accompanied by an equally unfamiliar face.

"Dean! What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing, when did you get into town?"

"About an hour ago, dropped off on the highway and this was the first place I found so I dropped in to eat. What about you? Why are you here?"

"This is the lead we were looking into. Came to talk to a bartender here that writes articles for a local periodical. But judging by your call you beat us to it."

"Yeah it would seem that way, I always am one step ahead of you Dean. But I should tell you that we aren't the only hunters in town, there's a couple inside as a matter of fact."

"Really? Great, lets just hope they stay out of the way"

"Agreed. So are you going to introduce me? Or are we just going to pretend he's not here all night?"

Dean wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulders and gave him a brotherly shake, it was obvious that Dean had the older brother act down pat. From what she'd heard from John he took his role as Sam's older brother extremely seriously. She saw proof of Johns words in Dean's own, whenever he spoke about Sam that very message got across.

"Sammy this here is Xue-li, Xue-li this is my little brother Sammy."

Sam shrugged his way out of Dean's grip and his annoyance at Dean became apparent. Xue-li offered her hand to Sam for a handshake, and for a moment Sam hesitated before returning the handshake.

"It's nice to finally meet to you Sam, I've heard a lot about you."

"It's good to meet you to."

"So I don't know about you two but I'm beat, how about we head back to hotel and we start up in the morning?"

"Agreed, but I have to warn you that Sammy snores like a Pug"

"Shut up Dean and it's Sam for god's sake"

As she watched the brothers interact on the trip back to the motel room she could see the bond they shared. Dean seemed happy, the first time she'd seen him that way since John had left. The next few days would be a challenge, it didn't take a genius to see that Sam didn't like her much. For why she didn't know, but she didn't care. They would get along, if it took time and effort then so be it. But for Dean and John's sake she would make it happen.


End file.
